War of the Great Houses
The War of the Great Houses, also called the War of the Tulls, was a civil war that developed out of a dynastic dispute involving the succession of King Tull III. It took place from 4595 until 4605. The conflict was fought in Esmeralda Prime between a coalition of noble houses (known as The Reformers) led by Louis Tullson against Christophe Ramsay and his noble support (known as The Traditionalists) and resulted in open civil war that divided the Kingdom of Esmeralda. Background Originally, the royal house of the empire was House Tull and the title of King of Esmeralda was a hereditary one specific to them. In 4594, King Tull III (Brian Tull) died unexpectedly without issue and the line of succession among the surviving members of House Tull was left highly disputed. The highest ranking member of House Tull at the time of the King's death was Christophe Ramsay. However, his family had been adopted into House Tull and he had no direct relation to the Tull line itself. The closest living relative to the King from within House Tull was Count Louis Tullson, who was descended from Jeremy Tull Sr.'s half-brother and colony founder, Maurice Tull. The nine houses met at a conference to discuss the selection of the next King. Christophe Ramsay argued that his claim was the best based on his ranking within House Tull and his inherited title of Earl which was given to his father by King Tull II. Louis Tullson, while formally holding the title of Count, was largely considered an outsider from within his own house. Surprising many at the the conference, Tullson passionately argued that neither Ramsay or himself were truly deserving of the throne. He felt he had the best claim to lead the house itself but nothing beyond that. Tullson argued that respect to the Tull dynasty was overrated and that an accomplished noble from of one of the other eight founding houses would be a more appropriate selection for King. The arguments made by Tullson were highly compelling not only split the membership of House Tull, but the lords of the other eight houses as well. The idea that the throne could not only be transferred among the nobility but actually earned based on accomplishment was thought-provoking and tempting. Following the speeches of the two candidates, the Tulls were unable to select a new head of household from within their own ranks. It then fell to the other eight houses to vote on the issue and help come to a settlement. Tullson's position was supported by House Labelle, House Seko, House Reinhardt and House Titus. Ramsay's position was supported by House Conteville, House Carpentier, House Garbháin and House Troy as well as the King's Chancellor, Treus Follett. The conference was deadlocked and Treus Follett declared himself Regent without a clear successor named. For the next year, Follett (who was not of noble birth) then proceeded to administer over the kingdom as Regent and taking instructions directly from Ramsay. The treatment of commoners begins extremely poor and the houses who sided with Tullson are charged with crippling taxes. This incensed Tullson and his supporters. Tensions began to mount on both sides as a King could not be settled upon. Without cooperation among the nobles, riots erupted throughout Esmeralda and none of the houses could contain their sectors. Ramsay forms an army amongst his supporters in an effort to assassinate Tullson and take revenge on his supporters. The war rages for a decade but the most decisive battle was a five day siege known as the Battle for the Palace in 4605. House Conteville, who were charged with defending the palace, switch sides from the Traditionalists to the Reformers. Chrisophe Ramsay and Louis Tullson are both killed during the battle. With the leaders of both factions of House Tull killed, it was initially unclear if the war should continue. Treus Follett retreated into hiding and continued to claim the regency for himself despite now being greatly outnumbered and with minimal forces. Baron Jason Labelle of House Labelle emerged as the the new leaders of the Reformers. A final battle known as the Battle of the Lieutenants brought the was to a decisive conclusion when Follett was killed by Labelle in personal combat. Conclusion At the conclusion of the civil war, the Reformer alliance now led by House Labelle emerged victorious. The Prefaectus Order was established shortly after to maintain order over the realm and enforce this new law of succession. The head of the order, the Prefect-Patris, would be directly responsible for naming the new monarch based on their interpretation of the newly created law. House Labelle was named as the new royal house for the next reign but it was determined that the title of King would no longer be hereditary. All sitting monarchs would be required to name their heir to the position of Viceroy from among one of the noble houses of the empire and direct hereditary succession would be forbidden to prevent dynastic legacy. Major Battles and Events * 4594: King Tull III (Brian Tull) dies with an heir * 4594: Christophe Ramsay makes a claim for the throne of Esmeralda * 4594: Louis Tullson makes a claim for the lordship of House Tull * 4594: A conference of the nobility to determine succession ends in a stalemate * 4594: Chancellor Treus Follett declares himself Imperial Regent * 4595: Riots break out in Esmeralda Prime * 4596: The 'Battle of Sector 12'. Traditionalist victory. * 4597: The 'Battle of Sector 1'. House Conteville and House Carpentier defeat House Reinhardt in battle. Traditionalist victory. * 4599: The 'Battle of Sector 15'. House Seko defeats House Garbháin in battle. Reformer victory. * 4600: The 'Battle of Sector 13'. House Troy defeats House Titus in battle. Traditionalist victory. * 4602: The 'Battle of Sector 2'. Ramsay Faction of House Tull defeats House Seko. Traditionalist victory. * 4603: The 'Battle of Sector 25'. Tullson Faction Reformer victory. * 4605: The 'Battle for the Palace'. House Carpentier switches sides from the Traditionalists to the Reformers. Chrisophe Ramsay and Louis Tullson killed. Reformer victory. * 4605: House Labelle assumes command of the Refomer alliance. * 4605: The 'Battle of Lieutenants'. Jason Labelle defeats and kills Treus Follett in personal combat. Reformer victory. * 4605: The 'Law of Succession' is written. Hereditary title for the throne of Esmeralda abolished. * 4605: Prefaectus Order founded by Jason Labelle. * 4605: King Labelle I (Jason Labelle) crowned. Category:Wars Category:Wars of the Esmeraldan Empire